Inviting God – Week 2 /Abraham

Week 2 – Day 1: An Invitation to Covenant and Purpose.

Read: Genesis 12:1–9

Over the next several weeks, we will explore some of God’s most significant moments of invitation throughout history. Genesis 12 is one of my favorites because I believe it paints the clearest picture of faith and what it truly means to become a child of God. 

This section of Scripture is literally referred to as the calling of Abram. (We might also refer to it as Abram’s invitation.) Now, notice what God asks Him to do in verse 1: leave your land, your relatives, and your father’s house and go to a place that I will eventually show you.

It’s as if God is saying, “Abraham, I want you to come with me. Come and see all I have in store for you.” It’s an invitation!

Now you’ve got to understand this ask. God is literally saying to this 75-year-old man and his wife (who cannot get pregnant). “Go. Leave your home. Leave your relatives. Leave your old way of life – leave it all behind and trust me to lead you to a place that I will eventually show you.” 

That’s the ask. And part of that ask includes leaving behind his plans, his old way of life, his old thoughts about god, his old practices, and habits. You see, Abraham, like his father Terah, was from Ur, where they worshiped the “moon” god Nana. Terah is even mentioned by name in Joshua 24:2 for his idolatry. 

What I’m saying is that to follow God – Abram had to make a complete break. He literally had to leave behind all of his old ways. Everyone and everything he used to trust in, and instead trust in God alone. He had to believe that somehow God would make he and his wife into a great nation and the world would be blessed through them – That’s called faith!

And that’s exactly what God invited Abraham into. He invited him to become the “father” of faith. God invited Abraham to become part of a new family – His family! He promised him that if he accepted his invitation, Abraham would become His “people” and He would be Abraham’s (and his descendants’) God (Genesis 17:7).

It’s another invitation into relationship and community. And this invitation comes in the form of a promise we call a Covenant, where God Himself promises to act and do exactly what He has said. Seriously, just look at who will be responsible for all of this – God says “I will” five times in those three verses. 

However, this invitation to have a special relationship with God—becoming His chosen people—comes with a purpose that we only fully grasp much later in the story.

God’s people will be His chosen method for blessing the world! Seriously, go back and re-read verses 2-3. “I will bless you, and you will be a blessing to all the people on the earth!” That’s the plan. God doesn’t just invite Abraham into a special relationship as “His people” – He also gives him purpose. God’s plan is to bless the world through these special people – through Abraham’s offspring. And this is where it gets interesting. Did you know that the Bible says that through faith we have become part of Abraham’s descendants (Galatians 3:7-9)?

That’s why Jesus refers to us—his followers—as the light of the world. He is the light. He made us His people. Now, we are the light, and through us, the world is blessed as we shine that light and help bring people out of darkness and into God’s light.

That’s why He tells us to go and make disciples of every nation (see the connection?). Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—teaching them to obey everything He has commanded us (the Great Commission of God—Mt. 28:18-10). We are saved and blessed by God for a reason—and that reason is to participate in God’s mission of reaching and blessing the nations as we invite them to be reconciled to God, just like we have been. 

 

Prayer: Father, thank you for inviting me to follow you. Thank you for calling me out of my old and empty ways, and for calling me to this adventure you call faith, where you tell me to simply “follow” and only illuminate my next step. I want to reflect daily on all you’ve done for me. I want to see how far you’ve brought me and all the ways you’ve blessed me. As I do, help me not to stay silent about it. You made me yours so that you could bless others through me. Help me believe this truth and embrace it this week as I seek to invite others to come and follow too.

 

Reflection:

1. Read Genesis 12:1–3. Abraham had a past—he was an idol worshiper in a pagan land (Joshua 24:2). Yet God invited him into covenant and purpose. What does this reveal about God’s heart for the lost and undeserving? How does your own past make His invitation more meaningful to you?

(MULTILINE)

2. Read Hebrews 11:8–10. Abraham responded by leaving everything familiar—his country, his people, his father’s household. What might you need to leave behind to fully follow God’s calling? Are there comforts, identities, or plans you’re clinging to that keep you from stepping into His greater purpose?

(MULTILINE)

3. Read Galatians 3:8–9.
   God’s plan from the beginning was to bless the world through His people. There is no plan B. Is being part of that mission optional for you? Are you actively blessing others by praying for them, sharing your faith, and inviting them to become part of God’s covenant family?

(MULTILINE)

Application:

As you enter this week, ask God to help you see people the way He sees them—not defined by their past, but by their potential. Abraham was called out of a life of idol worship and empty traditions to follow the living God into something entirely new. In the same way, God is still inviting people to leave behind what is familiar but fruitless, and to step into a life of purpose with Him.

Reflect on how God invited you when you were undeserving. Who in your life might be clinging to old patterns, beliefs, or comforts that God wants to redeem? Ask God to show you someone who needs that same invitation—and be ready to speak, pray, or walk alongside them when He does.

 

 

Week 2 – Day 2: Faith and Fulfillment.

Read: Genesis 15:1–6

Abraham is referred to as “Father Abraham” because of the passage we read today. Really. When God called Abraham to leave behind everything he once put his trust in and follow Him to a place He would later disclose, God was inviting Abraham to believe – to trust – to have faith in Him alone.

Along with that invitation to have faith came some pretty big promises. As we studied yesterday, one of those was that in doing so, God would create a special people for Himself from Abraham’s descendants. Through those people, He would bless the world.

In today’s Scripture, we see those promises come to life. Abraham trusts God despite his circumstances. God promises to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and Abraham doesn’t hesitate. He doesn’t doubt. At this point, he is somewhere between 75 and 85 years old, and his wife Sarah is just 10 years younger, and up till now they’ve never been able to have children. What I’m saying is that it would have been natural for Abraham to question God here. But he doesn’t—he believes, and his faith in the Lord is credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

Now, this is a good place for a quick sidebar. People often ask me, “How were people saved in the Old Testament?” The answer, of course, is that they were saved the same way we are – through faith. Abraham, like every other Old Testament character that was saved, was saved because he believed in something He could not see. A promise He couldn’t fully comprehend, but that he believed with all of his heart – so much so, that His faith led to action.

Isn’t that exactly what salvation looks like today? We, like Abraham, are saved by grace alone, through faith alone. Of course, we have a clearer picture of God’s promised redeemer – we know fully that it’s Jesus. But that makes the faith of our Old Testament heroes even more astounding. They didn’t know how it would happen or who it would be, but they did believe that God would absolutely accomplish what He promised and would indeed bring a redeemer to restore what sin had broken.

So, Abraham believes, and he is saved (it’s credited to him as righteousness). That’s God’s standard for accepting us – righteousness; perfection. That’s not something we can do on our own. We need God to “credit” it to us. And when we put our faith in Jesus, that is exactly what God does for us. He imputes the righteousness of Jesus to us (2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:22). In other words, when we put our faith in Jesus, God credits us with the righteousness of Jesus – our sinless savior. It’s the only way we can be saved. It’s an act of grace. We can’t earn it, it must be credited to us through faith in the one and only Son of God.

Now, when that happens, the promises of God are unleashed in our lives. Some happen immediately – like the fact that we are born again and receive the Holy Spirit. Some, however, take time – like God’s promise to make Abraham a father of many nations.

Abraham would have to continue to follow God and believe in His plan every day. There would be times his faith would falter – where he would try to speed up the process. There would be times he would misunderstand the promise – putting his faith in Isaac instead of God. But God never relented. And he never withheld. In love, God showed Abraham that He was the God who provides (Genesis 22:1-14)!

Here’s my point – God will keep His promises to you, too. And one of those promises (a big one) is that he will use you to grow His Kingdom. That, in a sense, he will produce new “children” through you. Seriously, that’s what the Great Commission is all about. And God wouldn’t call you to it if He didn’t intend to use you to do it.

God wants to use you to continue making a “people” for himself. The only question is: will you have the faith of Abraham and step out in trust? Even if you’re unsure how it will work out, will you have faith in God and go (Matthew 28:18-20) do it anyway?

 

Prayer: Father, increase my faith! How is it that I can trust you with my salvation, but doubt that you can use me to make a people for yourself? I want in! I want to be part of this Kingdom-building stuff. I want you to use me to bring people into the Kingdom of God. Help me believe that you can and will do it, and help me live in such a way that I am always looking for opportunities to do so. Amen.

 

Reflection:

1. Read Genesis 15:1–6 and Joshua 24:2. Abraham came from a background of idol worship, yet God invited him into a new identity and future. What does this say about God’s heart for people with broken or imperfect pasts? How does it shape the way you see and approach people in your life who don’t yet know Him?

(MULTILINE)

2. Abraham believed God, even when the promise seemed impossible. Faith means trusting what you cannot see and stepping forward even when you don’t fully understand. What promises of God are hard for you to trust right now? Are you living in a way that reflects your faith in God’s power to work through you—even in bringing others into His family?

(MULTILINE)

3. God gave Abraham a promise, but Abraham still had to step out in faith and obedience. What might it look like for you to take a personal step of faith in God’s promise to reach others? Are there any habits, fears, or comforts you may need to leave behind—like Abraham did—to fully follow God’s call to be part of His invitation plan?

(MULTILINE)

 

Application:

Today, take a bold step of faith. Ask God to open your eyes to someone in your world who needs to be invited into His family. Maybe it’s someone you’ve overlooked or underestimated—someone who, like Abraham, might come from an unexpected place. Ask God to help you see them the way He does: full of potential, deeply loved, and worth pursuing. Then take one tangible action—pray for them, reach out to them, or even start a conversation that opens the door to faith.

 

 

 

Week 2 – Day 3: The Family of Faith

Read: Romans 4:13–25

 

Romans chapter 4 highlights the vastness of God’s promise to Abraham. Because of his faith, God makes him the father of many nations and three religions. Both Islam and Judaism trace their roots back to Abraham—Islam from when Abraham and Sarah tried to take matters into their own hands and force God’s promise by having Hagar sleep with Abraham, which leads to the birth of Ishmael. Judaism, which is built on God’s covenant with Abraham, the giving of the law, and descent by blood. Through these people—the Jews—God’s solution for our sin, the Messiah, will come. 

But that promise, like all of God’s will, requires faith! Genealogy and good works alone are not sufficient. The law given to God’s people will be powerless to save them (Romans 3:20). Instead, the law’s purpose is to reveal their need for a Savior—yes, even these chosen people, through whom the promised one will come, must have faith in the Messiah to be saved (John 14:6, Acts 4:12, Romans 3:22-23). 

What I am saying is this: God’s promise to build a people for Himself has always been based on faith. The promise has always reflected God’s desire to reconcile people to Himself through faith in His one and only Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Although that promise is fulfilled through the genealogy of Judaism, its purpose is to create a new “nation” or “people”—who, like Abraham, by grace and through faith, have the righteousness of God credited to them (Romans 4:22-24).

That’s our story! Through faith, we have become part of Abraham’s family—the family of God (Romans 4:16-17). Just think about the gravity of that for a moment. The family whose Father is the all-powerful creator of the universe. The God who sees, the God who provides, the God who is able, is now our Father, and we are His children! 

That’s why everything we’ve learned this week matters so much. All those promises to Abraham about how God planned to use his family to bless the world apply to us because we are His faith family! God is our God, and we are His people. And He wants to use us to bless others who don’t know Him yet—others who are still far away.

Our destiny, our divine purpose, is to bless the entire world by inviting them to come and see, to come and meet this gracious and loving God who has done for us what we could never do – made us perfect and pleasing to Him by fulfilling all the requirements of the law for our sake and through faith crediting all of His righteousness to us, so that we can belong to Him again! 

So, here’s the challenge today. It’s Day 3 of the second week of this journey together. You need to start believing it. Really. You have to believe it! All of it. Not just the part about God loving you so much that He sent His one and only Son to live the life you couldn’t and pay the penalty for your sin by dying on the cross in your place. You also need to believe that He did that for a reason. And that reason was to make you part of this family through which the world is supposed to be blessed! God wants to use you! You are His plan to bless others. You. There is no plan B!

That means we need to prioritize sharing our faith and inviting others into God’s family in our lives. Take a moment today to reflect on the questions below. Be honest with yourself and the Lord. 

 

Prayer: Again, Lord, I cry out that I believe, but I ask that you would help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). God, I feel like I know all of this stuff, yet there is a huge disconnect when it comes to believing that you really want to use me. Help me overcome that today. Help me see what’s holding me back. What’s keeping me from trusting you and consistently inviting others into this amazing family you’ve allowed me to be a part of.

 

Reflection:

1. What’s holding you back from believing that God truly wants to use you to bless others?
   Is it fear? Insecurity? Past failure? Ask God to reveal what’s standing in the way of fully stepping into your role as part of His faith family.

(MULTILINE)

2. Do you honestly believe the promises made to Abraham also belong to you through faith?
   How would your perspective change if you really lived like God’s plan to bless the world includes using you?

(MULTILINE)

3. Are you living like a child of God and a member of Abraham’s faith family?
   What evidence is there in your life that you’re actively inviting others to meet the God who saved you? Who specifically have you seen, heard, valued, or invited lately?

(MULTILINE)

 

Application:

As you step into today, remind yourself that your spiritual lineage goes back to Abraham. You are part of the family through whom God desires to bless the world. Ask God to help you fully believe that. Invite Him to expose anything in you that’s resisting that truth. Then, take one simple step to live it out: see someone who feels invisible, listen with intention, affirm their worth, and invite them into the same faith family that has transformed your life.

 

 

Week 2 – Day 4: Family Benefits

Read: Romans 8:14-17, Ephesians 2:11-22, Hebrews 4:14-16

Okay, I know that was quite a bit of reading, but I really wanted to help you understand exactly what happens when we place our faith in Jesus and the benefits that come with it. When we trust in Jesus Christ, recognizing that He alone can save us because He alone is God in the flesh, the perfect one who fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law and paid the penalty for our sin through His sacrificial death on the cross – at that moment, the Bible says that we are saved. We are adopted into God’s family, where God Himself becomes our Father (Romans 8:14-17).

Just consider the magnitude of this. We have all rebelled against God. As a result, the Bible declares that we are enemies of God (Romans 5:10). We are far from His presence, His life, His goodness, and His love. Because of this, we were all excluded from citizenship and were strangers to His promises. Dead in our sin. But through faith in Christ, we are made alive. We are brought near. We are raised up and seated with Christ in God’s presence. God is no longer distant from us. He is now our Father. Through faith, He adopts us into His Kingdom and His family. Now we are citizens of Heaven and children of the King—reconciled to Him through faith (Ephesians 2:11-22). 

And get this… because all of this is true, and because it has all happened through faith, we now have access to God. As His children, His throne is no longer a place of condemnation (Romans 8:1); instead, it is called the “throne of grace.” How great is that?

This is what it means to belong to God’s family! We are forgiven, we are free, but more importantly, we are reconciled. We now have access to God again. The separation is gone (Romans 8:38-39).

This incredible new reality we now experience should motivate us to obey the great commission. Because we are forgiven, free, reconciled to God… because we are now His children, and all condemnation is gone… because we now have access to the “throne of grace,” we should want others to experience the same freedom. This is God’s design.

So, let me ask you a question: Why don’t we live that way? Why don’t we fully commit ourselves to this task – telling others how good God is and what He’s done for us? Have we forgotten? Do we not understand? Or, have we grown complacent and let other things drown out this beautiful thing that God has done for us and our responsibility to share it?

And when I say that, please understand I’m not talking about preaching. I’m not talking about memorizing tons of Scripture or evangelism techniques. I’m simply talking about sharing with others the good things God has done for us. Isn’t that how we usually react when something amazing happens to us? We tell others about it, right? That’s exactly what we’re called to do with our faith. Just honestly share what happened to us. How God sought us out. How far away we were, and how through faith in Jesus, He’s brought us near. How we now have regular access to His grace instead of condemnation, and how that access and freedom are EVERYTHING!

Take some time today to reflect on all that God has done for you in bringing you to Himself. What are the highlights? Write down two or three major things and how they have changed you. The churchy word for the result is testimony. What you write about what God has done for you, how He has transformed your life, and the closeness you now share with Him—that is your testimony. It is a powerful tool in this new mission you’re called to. When you share it, God will use it to speak deeply into others’ pain and to give them hope that they can also become children of God.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for saving me. Jesus, thank you so much for all you’ve done to bring me near to God, to raise me up, and to make me His child and a citizen of this Kingdom. I am nothing without you! Remind me that YOU are my story! Help me remember all you’ve done and the access I now have to God because of you. Provide me with opportunities and the boldness to share my testimony with others this week.

 

Reflection:
1. Before Christ, we were far from God—excluded, strangers, and even His enemies. How does remembering your “before” deepen your gratitude for His invitation to be part of His family? How might this also shape your heart for those still far away?

(MULTILINE)

2. God didn’t just forgive you—He adopted you and gave you direct access to His throne of grace. How does this change the way you see yourself? And how might this truth give you courage to invite someone else to experience the same access?

(MULTILINE)

3. Your testimony is a powerful tool God uses to draw others. Who in your life needs to hear your story of being brought near to God? What practical step can you take this week to see, hear, value, and invite them?

(MULTILINE)

 

Application:

Today, pause and remember what it cost God to bring you near. Write down two or three key ways His invitation has changed your life. Then, ask God to open your eyes to someone who feels far away from Him—someone who might need to hear that they too can be adopted into His family. Be intentional this week to share your story with them, trusting God to use it as an invitation into His grace.

 

 

Week 2 – Day 5: Family Focus

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:11-21

There may not be a more beautiful picture of how trusting in Jesus brings new life than what we find in 2 Corinthians 5. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!” If you’re longing for newness and change in your life, it’s easy for this verse to become your battle cry.

Please hear me. I don’t want to discourage that in any way. In fact, I would encourage you to write this verse down somewhere and memorize it! I believe this verse can serve as a crucial reminder for believers as they seek to create positive change in their lives. I’ve often recited this verse aloud to remind myself of the powerful work that Jesus has done in me and the truth that I have indeed been made spiritually new through my faith in Christ.

But, if I’m being honest, while this verse has brought me great comfort, my treatment of it has also caused me some difficulty that I’m hoping I can help you avoid. Early in my walk with Christ, I focused so much on my “newness” and what Christ had done for me that I missed the passage’s larger context.

Reread the entire passage. Starting in verse eleven, this passage highlights that if Jesus has made us new and reconciled us to God through faith in Him, we must now dedicate ourselves to being His ambassadors. The text explains that if we’ve become a new creation, we also have a new ministry—indeed, a new office or position: we are now ministers of reconciliation. Now, we must go and share with others what Jesus has done for us! Reconciliation really comes down to relationship. God is building His family, and He’s chosen to do it through us—His messengers. When we share our testimony, invite others to church, or share the gospel, we do so because we want them to become our brothers and sisters—part of this incredible family of God.  

And this new office/position and mission aren’t just for the outgoing folks—they’re for everyone! The Great Commission isn’t optional. Early on in my walk with Christ, I failed to realize that becoming a new creation changed my purpose in life. Now I’m in the family business. And the family business is seeking and saving the lost (Luke 19:10).

But here’s a hard truth. You’re not always going to feel like doing it. There are a lot of things in the Christian life that you won’t necessarily want to do at times. It’s true. 

It took me a very long time to realize that, as a new creation, I now possessed two natures: a new nature, with the Spirit of God living in me, and an old nature, my sinful flesh. Oh, how I wish someone had explained this to me early in my walk with Christ.

Take a moment and read Galatians 5:16-25.

What a revelation! It was life-changing when I realized that I was a new creation spiritually, living in the same old flesh, and that my flesh and spirit were in constant battle for control! Suddenly, I understood that what I was experiencing was a normal part of being a Christian. My failures didn’t mean (as the enemy had whispered in my ear) that I wasn’t saved or that God couldn’t use me to bring others to Him; instead, it showed that what I was experiencing was to be expected, and even the Apostle Paul struggled with this battle between the old nature and the new nature (Romans 7) – but it certainly didn’t prevent Him from the family business of reconciliation! I cannot begin to tell you what encouragement that brought to my Spirit. I hope and pray it does the same for you.

The devil will try to point out every failure in your life and claim that’s who you are. But he is a liar. That’s not who you are. If you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, you are truly a new creation! You have been born again, born of the Spirit of God. Now that you are new, you have a new mission and a new battle to face daily—will you walk in the Spirit, or will you yield to the flesh? Will you focus on your failures or trust God to use a broken vessel to bring others to a saving faith in Him?

Along the way, you will experience great victories. God will accomplish things in you and through you that you couldn’t imagine. However, you’ll likely face some significant failures, too. Our old nature won’t let go easily.

When you win – thank God for His work in you. And when you fail, ask for his forgiveness and remember – you are human. We all struggle. Even the best of us, look at the Apostle Paul (Romans 7:19). Failing occasionally doesn’t mean you aren’t a new creation! And you can’t let it keep you from your new calling – to be a minister of reconciliation.

Prayer: Father, thank you for making me new. Today, I’ve realized what that means. Help me nail down this truth that even as a new creation, I will have moments when I fail, but those moments no longer define me – you do! Holy Spirit, when the enemy tries to convince me that I am what I’ve done, please remind me of the truths I’ve learned today. Help me overcome my insecurities and live out the new calling you’ve placed on my life as a minister of reconciliation – Amen.

Reflection:

1. When God made you a new creation, He didn’t just give you a fresh start—He gave you a new mission. How does knowing you are now part of God’s “family business” of reconciliation change the way you view your daily life? Who in your life is God calling you to invite into His family?

(MULTILINE)

2. The Great Commission is not optional. Why do you think so many believers treat inviting others into God’s Kingdom as if it is? What changes in your heart and habits would make this mission a daily priority?

(MULTILINE)

3. We all have moments of failure—but failure doesn’t define us. How can you push past feelings of inadequacy and insecurity so you can still invite others into God’s presence? What truth from today’s reading will help you do that?

(MULTILINE)

 

Application:

Today, reflect on what it means to be part of the “family business” of reconciliation. Ask God to show you one person who is far from Him—someone who might feel unworthy, forgotten, or broken. Pray for them by name, ask the Spirit to open a door for conversation, and then take a concrete step to invite them into God’s family this week—whether through a personal conversation, an invitation to church, or sharing your own testimony.